Thursday 11 December 2014

Favourites: November 2014

In the blink of an eye, we have almost reached mid- December and the festive season is almost upon us. In the past few months I have rediscovered my inner hermit, written 7,500 words in essays in 6 days (look for the remnants of my stress breakout in the lip closeup below!), had two stress-related mental breakdowns, road tripped in Tasmania, placed more ASOS orders than I ever have in the span of two months, had a roommate since my mom back in the year 2000, become a blush junkie in the making, and successfully finished my first undergraduate degree.

Over this period I've accumulated a number of beauty products that have been the superhero reincarnate to my life, and I'd thought I'd end this blogging drought by giving everyone something actually useful, instead of just gratuitous pictures of my face (which will come in time, don't worry your little head). Thank you to those out there who stuck around despite the writing silence! Watch this space, more posts coming soon, I promise!

YSL Blush Radiance No.6
I was one of the winners for the YSL Dangeroud Reds competition by Vogue (yay!), and this is one the products that came in the prize set. I'm not a blush kind of person, so I was slightly taken aback at how fluro this blush looks in the compact, but with a light hand, it gives you the most healthy, natural pink glow without being too shimmery or matte, and makes me look so much more awake than I actually am in the morning.

YSL Pur Couture Glossy Stain No.104
Again, something I didn't expect to love so much - I can see all the hype surrounding this product. While this also looks pretty strongly colored, it glides on smoothly in a sheer rosy pink which is buildable. It brightens my complexion and stays put even after a night of drinking and eating. Only downside is it dries slightly sticky, but I can totally deal for such a pretty and long lasting colour.

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with avocado 
Really moisturizing and became an absolute essential for the late nights that I was pulling during my examination period. A little goes a very long way and your undereye area will just drink it up, so it wears beautifully under concealer and foundation if you're looking to use this in daytime skincare routines. Worth every penny!

Shu Uemura Skin Purifier Cleansing Oil 
So simple to use, and melts off my war paint in just one minute, including my mascara which will keep my lashes curled even through a thunderstorm (tried and tested, no joke). Does not break me out and keeps my skin soft and hydrated. Just google it's reviews if you'd like more confirmation, but I cannot sing it's praises enough!

Aesop Rind Concentrate Body Balm/ Resurrection Aromatique hand Balm 
Savior for my hands and body in Australia's drier climate. Just because it's summer here, doesn't mean you shouldn't moisturize! All you lucky people on the other side of the Earth in winter now - hear me when I say this is godsend. I also have a 'hnnnnng' moment every time I use either of these, because they just smell so good.







UNICORN LOVE, 
 - R 

Sunday 28 September 2014

Scarlet Siren

Since my discovery of the versatility of the classic red lip , its been my saving grace many a time when I find myself in the pickle of "Oh no, too much black". And let's face it, given the underwhelming amount of color in my wardrobe, that situation is never too far around the fashion corner (or runway, if you will). So when a little birdie told me of the #YSLDangerousReds photo competition that advertised a year's worth of YSL products, or a trip to Sydney for a photoshoot with photographer Hugh Stewart, I felt it high time I paid homage to this beautiful colour with this stunning number of a skirt.

Said little birdie and I pulled out all our stops, for the shoot of the most epic proportions was about to go down. Well, I exaggerate, for if you imagine two ridiculously overdressed Asian girls running off to the Royal Exhibition Building you don't exactly get as epic an image as I hoped, but you get the point. I think we'd both agree that this was the most physically trying shoot that we've ever attempted, despite the careless tossing of hair or pensive staring into the distance that (I hope) is being depicted. There was much kneeling, sucking in of protruding bellies and sinking of stiletto heels into the grass to be had. But girls, remember, beauty is pain.

So, #YSLDangerousReds asks me how I wear my red.

Why, as the center of attention, of course, with panache to boot. 











SHOP MY CLOSET 

Photos Credits to Lily

UNICORN LOVE, 
 - R 

Thursday 18 September 2014

Viridian Velour

I've always struggled with beginning blogposts, as I am right now, so please bear with me as my writing engine sputters to life and we get off to a rather unexciting opening. 

It was only when I noticed that my winter coats were collecting dust in my wardrobe that I realised how backlogged this post was going to be if I didn't get it up soon. That and the fact that the semester is well under way and I am swimming in assignments (but still have time to write a blogpost?). Guess who needs to keep her priorities in check? 

As much as I love blooming flowers, I've always been sad to see the temperatures creeping upwards on the weather forecast. This means bidding adieu to layering it up, cosy winter coats, and welcoming the possibility of perspiration outside gym conditions (the horror). Y'all know how I feel about that. So here's a tribute to the favourites of my winter wardrobe: A versatile slate coloured coat, a viridian velvet top, a printed bodycon skirt (that doesn't blow up in the wind to flash your undies to unsuspecting passers-by), my trusty creeper wedges and that gem of a bag just screaming for attention.   

It seems like shades of green are beginning their takover on my blog, but not to worry, my next post promises to flip the spectrum with more of these beautiful jewel tones I've really loving recently. Stay tuned! 














SHOPMYCLOSET 
Green velvet top The Editor's Market | Oasis Boucle Knit Sleeve Coat ASOS | Printed skirt Dotti
Gold chain Lovisa | Gold crossbody bag Bimba Y Lola | Black suede creeper wedges Underground

Photography: Lily Chen. Head over to give her some unicorn lovin' 


UNICORN LOVE, 
- R 

Sunday 10 August 2014

Checklist

 It's that time of the year again. Winter holidays, two month long hiatus, what's new?

The return of the academic semester saw me being very adventurous with my wardrobe; I bought my first pair of pants in 6 years. Yes, even in winter I donned a skirt/shorts and tights getup, or even worse, simply went bare-legged. I know they keep you warm, but if you're me who prioritizes vanity over comfort, items of restrictive clothing that emphasize my monstrous pear-shaped figure, I can definitely pass up. If I had Gisele BΓΌndchen's legs, sure, I'd wear pants made out of potato sacks for all I cared. But when I stepped rather skeptically into this pair of Uniqlo pants-leggings, I was sold. Believe me when I say they're so comfy, it's like wearing leggings. Next up on the fashion checklist: Midi skirts. 

The 20s club also welcomed it's new member in the month of July. In addition to my irrational fears of small irregular holes and finishing a bottle of shampoo but not the conditioner at the same time (come on, it's not just me, right?), I now fear growing old. Y'know, one day waking up and realizing when you look in the mirror that you've gone wrinkly and own about seven cats. But problems of the quarter life crisis aside, turning the big two-zero has really made me think about my priorities and direction in life. For example, should I get that maxi dress in red or in blue?

Either way, the plan as of today is just to veer further away from making a colossal mess of my life. Wherever that road takes me, I'll deal with as it comes.

















SHOP MY CLOSET
 Topshop gray coat similar here | ZARA bottle green shirt | Indiesin Mandela Necklace

Photo credits: Lily Chen. Go give this girl some lovin'. 


UNICORN LOVE, 
 - R 

Monday 5 May 2014

Photodiary: Sunday Shenanigans

For the whole of my time in primary and secondary school, I used to jump out of bed all ready to face the day at 6AM in the morning. Now significantly older than I was then, I sometimes wonder how I managed to get up at such an ungodly hour in the morning. At some point my body decided that it just had had enough of mornings and if I have the mind to, I can now sleep in till two in the afternoon. Especially on Sundays. 

However, it was with complete eagerness that I hauled myself out of bed at 7.30 on the Sunday of the college's annual winery tour. Despite grumpy skies and cold wind, I knew it was going to be a lovely day. When the first thing you ingest in the morning is some smoked salmon nibbles and a flute of bubbly, I don't think the rest of the day can go very wrong. 

At 9.30, we all crammed onto the bus and trundled our way down to the various wineries down in the Mornington Peninsula. I felt it was high time I showed my blog some love, so here's a quick photodiary of my adventures of inebriation fun through the four wineries we visited, and my unpractical outfit of the day. I did want to keep warm (i.e. wearing tights and sweaters), but eventually vanity won out. Sometimes you just can't have it all. 

How was the bus on the way back, you ask? Well, to sum it up in an understatement- an hour and a half of absolute chaos.
























SHOP MY CLOSET
Navy coat from NAFNAF similar here | Brown wedges affordable here and insanely priced here
Floral dress similar here and here


UNICORN LOVE, 
- R